This week in foods

I thought it was about time for another post but was a little surprised (ok, not really) when I realized all I had to share was food. That makes me wonder where my week escaped to. Truth be told, having the time to plan a meal, do the shopping and mess around in the kitchen is just how I like it. I'm thumbing through my cookbooks and internet recipe stash to try new dishes. Finding reasonably healthy and veggie dishes that Nathan will also enjoy has been a fun challenge.

First off, I forgot to post this photo from a couple weeks ago.
 

I shot this cake display in the restaurant where Dianna and I stopped for drinks a couple weeks ago.  The glow coming from the case, reflecting off the slick cakes was so alluring. 

The liquid over this cake is incredible, isn't it? I would really like this photo if my own reflection wasn't in it!

 

It was a live action Wayne Thiebaud moment.

He does these great paintings of cakes and pies. I always think of my mom when I see these. Does anyone else get excited when they walk past a bakery window full of cakes?

The repetition of waxy pies all in a row and the shadows from each slice make me feel nostalgic for any diner I've ever been to. They're something a little lonely and also very comforting in the excess.

Also, this week in foods: ratatouille!

I made a big pan full. It came out of the oven so pretty. Doesn't it look nice next to Nathan's rooster pot holder? :) Mm. I think I like eggplant more than he does though.

We keep making unsuccessful plans to go to the farmer's markets, and Saturday we finally made it. And thank goodness! The Redmond market is quite extensive with such a variety of produce.

Shelene sent us a thoughtful housewarming package with a sweet little plaque for me and a well-loved hand-me-down cookbook for Nathan. And, Melinda sent some money to help us stock our baking pantry! A great big THANK YOU, especially because Nathan made these totally awesome chocolate chip cookies last night!

Look how perfectly formed and browned they are! Who knew he could do this, and why hasn't he done this more often?!

That's what I've got for foodie pictures this week. Making ratatouille this week really made me want to watch the movie Ratatouille! I have a warm heart for animated flicks, and coincidentally I also love movies about food. As a kid I couldn't watch the opening scene of Willy Wonka (the old Gene Wilder version) without chocolate milk. Chocolat is one of those movies I could watch over and over. 

One of our Chicago house favorites is Big Night! The food is practically its own character. The soundtrack is great, all of those cool, jazz age Italian tunes.

The one piece of food unrelated news I have is that we finally got a sofa! It's a sofa bed in case anyone wants to visit. ;) At first I was overwhelmed by how much of the living room area it takes, but now it doesn't look too bad. I suppose we were getting used to the big empty space.

Check out the three laptops sitting in front of the couch! haha

That's all for now. ciao. 

New Home, and Away

Sorry for the delay on posts--I suppose there hasn't been all too much to tell lately, just the daily ins-and-outs. Nathan is adjusting to his early morning work schedule (5 am, ouch!) The nice thing about the early shift is that we get most of the afternoon and evening together. We moved into our new place last week! Being able to do it gradually over a few days made it so easy and fun. A few small bins are sitting around and we're still looking for living room furniture, but it already feels like home. :) 

Here is Nathan sitting in our living room the day we signed the lease.  The kitchen counter is right in front of me.  I love the huge window--not much of a view, but lovely light.

We had a really great weekend.  On Saturday we went to see The Dark Knight, which we both really liked.  It was so exciting!  Heath Ledger was completely insane as the Joker and so good. I can't wait for them to make the next movie.  On Sunday we picked up friends Dianna and Kim and headed to Sequim, Washington, for the Lavender Festival!  I have very fond memories of Sequim from the first time I visited the Northwest with my family in high school.  Even in mid-August, as the lavender season was coming to an end, the land was so beautiful.  Since then I had really wanted to go back there with Nathan, so yesterday was wonderful! We took the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and enjoyed the view on the drive up to Sequim. The weather couldn't have been better, a high of about 70 degrees as we walked around the festival. 

 

We spent the morning at the street fair where tons of vendors sold all sorts of lavender products, honeys, jams, and crafts from their farms.  I picked up a few bunches of fresh lavender and some absolutely delicious Raspberry Lavender jam.

Since we only had a little time, we passed on the lavender farms tour. However, I couldn't leave without stopping by Purple Haze, the farm my family visited some years ago. They had an admissions gate, so we stood by and took some photos of their fields. We could hear a band playing fiddles and see tents set up for trying lavender infused culinary wonders. (I think we'll buy the tour button next year!)

We loved this stripe of yellow flowers running through the lavender field! The variations of green and purple were so vibrant.

We had some extra time in the afternoon, so we headed over to Dungeness, only about 15-20 minutes northwest.  Dungeness is famous for its crabs, but we drove to the coastline to see the

 Dungeness Spit.  The Spit is a narrow strip of land that extends 5 miles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  

 

The ecolife there is very rich. Birds often nest there, and a park ranger told us they found a baby seal down the shore. Driftwood dragged in with the tide has collected down the middle, and all sorts of shells, rocks, and strange sea plants wash up too.

 

The tide was coming in, so the waves were really crashing. You can see the mountains in the distance. I am so grateful to live within a drive's distance from something like this. 

I have quite a few photos from our beautiful Sunday that you can see by visiting my Kodak gallery page. You may have to login or be invited to view the album, so leave me a comment with your email if you'd like to see more lavender and sea! I wish you all could have been there.

The Weather's Fine

Keeping to our Wednesday night tradition, Nathan and I make a weekly date with our tv for So You Think You Can Dance at 8pm.  Last night we squeezed a new ice cream place in between dinner and dancing.  I think we'll have to make Theno's Dairy a semi-regular treat.  Boy, oh boy, it was good.  We found some raves about it online and decided to check it out.

 
It's a humble little shop just off the road that sells the dairy's eggs, milk, and ice cream.  But take a look at that view. :)

 

It was just like ice cream should be.

We shared a double, Black Raspberry Swirl and Cherry Vanilla.

What else is going on? hm.  Nathan has started his summer job working the deli at Safeway (I tease him that he'll be "bringing home the bacon," but if he does literally he'll be eating it himself...I love a pun).  He looks so dapper in his dress shirt and tie.  Sorry, no photos--yet.

Here are a few things I'm loving right now:

The Sartorialist: a blog of well captured street fashions. It's like Vice's Hot list, but without the perviness.

The Fallen: photos by Paul Fusco of crowds gathering, June 18, 1968, to look upon the train that carried Robert F. Kennedy's coffin from NYC to DC.  Beautiful.

This French Bulldog puppy. Gosh, I'm in love.

Also, totally awesome Eames rocker.

(photo from Apartment Therapy)

 

Sweet little knit eyelet dress from Stewart and Brown.

Stewart and Brown sells organic, sustainable, and fair trade clothing.  And unlike many of the similarly minded clothing businesses out there, the stuff is actually so cute.

I've got more in mind, but I've got to get to bed.  Mom, I got your voicemail--I love you to death, and I'll call you tomorrow (Friday), which is also the day Nathan and I sign the lease on the new apartment.  I'm getting excited.  bonne nuit.

Caring about fashion

Some might think that coming from a visual arts/design background one would be aesthetically intuitive overall.  However, I'm pretty much in the dark when it comes to fashion, especially styling myself.    And in my everyday, wearing my jeans and tank top, I don't really care that much.  But sometimes it hits me.  

There are people who dress like this on a daily basis!

(images via The Sartorialist)

This one reminds me of pictures of my mom in the '70s.  How did you do it, Mom?!  

This woman was spotted walking around (ok, it was in Paris).  Sure, she could be wearing this dress for an occasion, but I have a feeling she just dresses well. (PS, I love her red hair)

It is all too tempting to make some changes now that I am in this new place and have a chance to make a first impression.  Maybe time to leave some of my sloppy college tendencies behind and take my appearance more seriously as a potential designer?  

I deal with the same wardrobe issues that many girls do in trying to use what they have, integrate new pieces, and be budget-smart.  I'm not in the market for a complete overhaul, but I could definitely use some fashion savvy.  Any ideas?  I'm challenging any and all of you to figure out what to do with this:

Send me some links, images, style tips, hair advice, whatever! I will contemplate all suggestions.  

Happy Fourth

Sufjan reminds us that Francis Scott Key was a poet.  

(Did you know there are three more stanzas? If you're feeling very patriotic today, you can find them on wikipedia.)

Milk Glass

On Sunday I returned to an estate sale Nathan and I had previewed the day before, the place where we had found the mirror, bowl, and glasses. I sort of fell for this milk glass tableware. Milk glass was supposedly popular around 1890 and formerly called Opal Glass. I was hesitant on the price, but the man was very friendly and advised I come back the next day when he would mark it down. He seemed glad that I was appreciative of the material as many had passed it by already. Some of the dinner plates I liked were gone unfortunately, but I still went to town. ;) Here are my lovely buys.

 A set of six teacup saucers.  They are so delicate and sweet.  The Beaded Edge is a traditional milk glass design; it looks like a tiny string of pearls. I cannot wait to put marzipan treats on this serving plate.  The edge is even more intricate up close.

A close up on the pearly edge.  I would like to eventually find some mix and match teacups for the saucers.  Everything goes with white, right?

I probably should have passed up these goblets, but they were hard to resist.  I do not think I will use them with the rest of the service.  I just kept imagining how dramatic they would look with a really neutral palette, grays and blacks.  For the right occasion, I couldn't pass it up.

 These are the serving pieces, including the plate from above.  There is a small, looped edge candy dish, and the platter at left is my piece du triomphe.  I missed out on the matching plate, but I like having a small mix.  The unusual edge reminds me of coral.

 Now I am dreaming of pink frosted cakes.  Perhaps I will bring these out when I have special visitors over for coffee and pastries, in the fashion of Aunt Genie.  ;)